Artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, could soon consume as much energy as a
country the size of Ireland or the Netherlands, a new study has warned.
Every time you prompt ChatGPT to generate an image or an explanation, the
host company’s servers run thousands of calculations to deliver the goods.
This process uses vast amounts of energy. To keep the servers from overheating,
water systems are often used to absorb the heat and carry it off to cooling towers to
evaporate.
A single query on ChatGPT can consume more than a half liter of fresh water to cool
servers. Estimates report that it also consumes 10 times as much electricity as a
conventional Google search. And generating an image is equivalent to charging a smartphone.
To put this into perspective, ChatGPT prompts consume enough electricity daily to
power the Empire State Building for a year and a half. And globally, ChatGPT uses
around 39.16 million gallons of water daily, the equivalent of everyone in Taiwan
flushing their toilet at once.
The water AI companies use to cool their servers is the same fresh water used for
drinking, cooking and washing — and to put out fires.
Efforts to improve the efficiency of AI models are already underway, with
companies focusing on optimizing hardware, improving algorithms, and
considering renewable energy sources to offset their carbon footprint. Advances in energy-efficient chips, data center cooling techniques, and software optimization may help reduce energy demand over time.
For now, though, it’s important to recognize the environmental cost of our digital
interactions. While each individual search or prompt might seem negligible,
collectively, they contribute to significant energy use and carbon emissions.
consume /kənˈsuːm/ 意为 “消耗、耗费”，专门用于描述资源（如能源、时间）的使用，比 “use” 更正式，贴合学术与新闻语境。
as much energy as 比较结构，意为 “和…… 一样多的能源”
prompt v. 促使、向…… 发出指令
deliver the goods 完成用户需求、提供所需内容
vast /væst/
vast amounts of 修饰不可数名词 “energy”，意为 “大量的”，比 “a lot of” 更正式，突出能耗规模。
keep…from overheating 固定搭配，防止…… 过热
absorb the heat /əbˈzɔːrb/ 吸收热量， absorb” 精准描述物质吸收能量的过程，比 “take in” 更专业。
carry it off 带走、转移 “it” 指代 “heat”，简洁体现热量的传输动作。
cooling towers 冷却塔
evaporate /ɪˈvæpəreɪt/ 蒸发
liter /ˈliːtər/ 升
cool servers “冷却服务器”
Estimates report /ˈestɪmeɪts/ 估算结果、报告
conventional /kənˈvenʃənl/ adj. 传统的、常规的
To put this into perspective /pərˈspektɪv/ 固定短语，“为了更清晰地理解、为了直观起见”
power v. “为…… 提供动力、供电”
the Empire State Building “帝国大厦”
globally /’ɡloʊbəlɪ/ adv. “在全球范围内”
flushing their toilet at once “同时冲马桶”
cool their servers “冷却他们的服务器”
fresh water “淡水”
underway adj. ，“正在进行的、已启动的”
hardware 硬件
algorithms /ˈælgəˌrɪðəmz/ 算法
renewable energy sources /rɪˈnuːəbl/ 可再生能源
offset their carbon footprint：“抵消碳足迹” “offset” — “抵消、弥补”
Advances in “在…… 方面的进步、突破”
energy-efficient chips 节能芯片，energy-efficient — 节能的
reduce energy demand 降低能源需求
over time 随着时间的推移、逐步地
For now 目前、当下
digital interactions 数字交互
environmental cost 环境代价
individual /ɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/ adj. 单独的
negligible /ˈneɡlɪdʒəbl/ adj. “微不足道的、可忽略的”
collectively /kəˈlɛktɪvli/ adv. ，“共同地、总体上”
contribute to：“导致、促成”
significant energy use and carbon emissions /iˈmɪʃnz/ “大量的能源消耗和碳排放”
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